Another example of the utter incompetence that is Kent County Council highways department. Last time they couldn’t understand that water drained downhill now they have difficulty with where the sun is.

Let me take you to the village I was born and bred: Seal1 a couple of miles East of Sevenoaks in Kent. Now head off northwards from the A25 down School Lane, past my mum’s house2 to the junction with Childsbridge Lane3 Just before we get to Zambra way is a new Zebra crossing. Part of the installation is a pole with a photovoltaic solar panel on the top. As you’d expect this is tilted at 50 degrees or so to get the best aim at the sun as the earth rotates on it’s tilted axis. . . … but oh dear it points North West. Now I admit it is 20 years since I lived in Seal but in the previous 30 years the sun was mostly in the south.

I wouldn’t trust KCC to dribble in their bibs.

Email to chief executive of KCC

Freedom of Information act 13th October 2009
A I wish to know the (i)Cost (ii)Purpose (iii)Management checking procedures for the solar PV panel associated with the recently installed zebra crossing in Childsbridge lane, seal.
B I wish to see the safety audit that was planned for the junction of School lane and Childsbridge lane, Seal. Including the identity of whichever organisation did the audit.
ALSO
1Question: Are the people who designed/checked/installed/managed the Zebra crossing in Childsbride Lane, Seal, still employed by the council?
2If so why?
3How much will it cost to audit the other Solar PV installations in Kent
4When will this be done by?
Notes:
* See the privacy policy for the blog public interest beats ‘private and confidential’
* Whoever actually replies on your behalf it will be YOUR REPLY.
* Please be sure to reply immediately with a reference.
* If you have any queries regarding the scope of this request then please contact me as per the Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs’ Code of Practice on the discharge of public authorities’ functions under Part I of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

1. Postcode TN15 Map reference TQ 549 568
2. editor and co-author of the well received book on SealThe History of a Parish and West Kent Wills and Families up to 1650
3. This is the one where the water and stones run down school Lane and straight into the junction. The durbrains from KCC unable to understand that water tends on the whole to run downhill. They were told but wouldn’t listen.

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